Top stars head for Cornbury Festival (From Witney Gazette)

Top stars head for Cornbury Festival

2:34pm Tuesday 20th May 2008

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THERE are only two places in the country where music fans can see singer songwriter legend Paul Simon on stage this summer - and one of them is on our own doorstep, at the Cornbury Festival.

Something of a scoop, then, for festival organiser Hugh Phillimore, considering the other venue is at Liverpool, the European Capital of Culture 2008 and birthplace of pop giants The Beatles.

But the West Oxfordshire man, who lives just a mile or so from the country estate where the line-up seems to get bigger every year, is typically laid back. "It is our biggest name yet, and, of course, we're delighted he's coming," he says. "But, you know, Cornbury has its own atmosphere, it's fairly unique.

"I think it's the only place where you are going to find ladies doing the tea tent, as well as having Paul Simon on stage."

This year's event, on July 5 and 6, is the fifth, and ticket sales are doing well.

But for Mr Phillimore, the eagerly anticipated Paul Simon's forthcoming appearance takes backstage to an event even more important in his life.

"My wife's expecting our first baby in a month's time, and she's already been thinking about a christening at Cornbury. We'll have to see," he told the Gazette.

Starting a family is, however, something he is also keen to talk about when it comes to his showbiz and business interests. He often refers to the Festival as a 'family' event, part of its unique branding.

It started out small in 2004, when 2,000 fans came to see top act Jools Holland on one day, and 4,000 the next for Blondie and Will Young. Audiences have been steadily growing, helped by the booking of more big names, such as Joe Cocker, Elvis Costello, The Waterboys.

This summer, it is confidently expected to reach 16,000, restricted by the capacity of the current site in fields next to the estate home of Lord Rotherwick. "When I first thought of Cornbury, there were two ways I could have gone," he says. "One was to do a kind of Truck Festival, reaching about 5,000 fans over 20 years.

"But, though I wanted it to have its own atmosphere, I wanted it to be fairly big. It has, in fact, become much bigger and better than I thought. It is a huge undertaking, and involving huge amounts of people. It has developed a life of its own."

Between 80 and 85 per cent of ticket sales are snapped up by people living in a 50-mile radius of the West Oxfordshire venue. And local input is positively encouraged.

Of the four stages in the park, one is set aside for the Riverside, which, of course, runs its own small festival along the River Evenlode in nearby Charlbury. Local children are urged to dress up as trees and elves, and the 'family' atmosphere is also enhanced by having a dedicated kids' stage with acts like the Mr Men and Rupert the Bear.

"For me, the involvement of local people is a big thing. We get local schools involved, as well as our local tea ladies," added Mr Phillimore.

On Tuesday last week, he was keeping his local interest alive by casting his eye over some of the best local musical talents as a member of the panel of judges at Chipping Norton School's 'Battle of the Bands'. But, like all music festivals, Cornbury is a business enterprise. Attracting bigger line-ups, like this year's, which includes not just Paul Simon, but KT Tunstall, Crowded House, Beverley Knight, The Bangles, The Beat and Nick Lowe, means bigger fees. And that means higher ticket prices, up this year by as much as £10 on a regular ticket.

It also means the scrapping of free entry to under-ten-year-olds, limiting it to under-fives, though Mr Phillimore hopes to reintroduce the higher age next year or the year after.

His own estimate is that the Cornbury Festival, which started out making losses just to get established, will break even by 2011. That means overall past losses will have been wiped out.

Mr Phillimore ends his interview by re-emphasising his local credentials. "I live in Shorthampton, and was married in the church there. I love the area, I walk a lot in the countryside.

"For me this is ideal, having our own festival just a few fields away and sharing it with a lot of people I know," he says.

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